Montezuma and La Plata counties, the town of Dolores, and the San Juan National Forest plan fire restrictions this month amid dry conditions and rising temperatures.
On Friday, the San Juan National Forest will enact Stage 1 fire restrictions, which ban fires, including the use of charcoals or briquettes, except in designated fire rings within developed campgrounds and picnic areas.
The ban was scheduled for May 25 but was moved up as a precaution. The Tres Rios Office of the Bureau of Land Management currently does not have a fire ban.
The Montezuma County Board of County Commissioners plans to enact a fire ban May 25, said Sheriff Steve Nowlin.
The county fire ban was unanimously recommended by all fire departments, he said.
“Everything is drying up fast. We have higher heat and winds,” Nowlin said. “With the Memorial Day weekend crowds coming up, we want to protect the area from fires.”
Lightning also is in the forecast, he said.
The ban prohibits open burns and fireworks. Trash can be burned in a burn barrel with a quarter-inch screen in a 20-foot diameter clearing. Use of barbecue grills is allowed. Welding is allowed within a bare clearing that is 20 feet in diameter as long as a fire extinguisher and shovel are present.
The fine for violating a fire ban is up to $1,000, Nowlin said.
The Dolores Board of Trustees will vote Monday on whether to enact a fire ban, said Town Manager Ken Charles.
The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is discussing enacting Stage 1 fire restrictions, said Fire Chief Tom Stephenson. A decision by the Tribal Council is expected by next week. Stephenson said he will recommend that the tribe go to Stage 1 restrictions.
As of May 18, Dolores County had not enacted a fire ban, according to its website.
Most of Montezuma County is in “severe” drought, level D2 on a scale ranging from “abnormally dry” at D0 to “exceptional” at D4 on the U.S. Drought Monitor. The southwest corner of the county is in “extreme” drought, level D3.
The western half of Dolores County is in severe drought, and the eastern half is in “moderate” drought, or level D2. La Plata County is mostly in “severe” drought.
